Vendakka Kichadi : A Sadya Style Stew Made With Okra And Veggies
Image Credit: Shutterstock | A Sadya Style Stew Made With Okra And Veggies

One of the joys of the holiday season might be cooking, and we look forward to eating and sharing throughout the year. This meal is really easy to prepare because it only takes a short amount of time and is ideal for the hot weather we experience in a few states. At any Kerala Sadya (Grand Feast), whether it is for a wedding, a religious event, or a birthday, Pachadi/Kichadi is a necessary side dish. This side dish Kichadi is created with a variety of vegetables, including ginger, cucumber, pineapple, lady's finger, bitter gourd, and ginger. There are differences between these two. While we simply use yoghurt in Kichadi, we add the yoghurt and coconut mixture to Pachadi. The day before the Kerala Sadyas (grand feast), Pachadi/Kichadi is prepared. Okra yoghurt curry, also known as Vendakka Kichadi and Pachadi, can be prepared in two different ways: traditionally (fried) and through baking. 

By sautéing vendakkai with ground coconut and combining it with curd, Vendakkai Kichadi is a nutritious and delicious side dish. As part of the Onam Sadhya, Vendakkai Kichadi is enjoyed with rice. According to our acquaintance, kichadi is a Keralan meal that is more similar to our raita but cooked with coconut. 


Okra, or Abelmoschus esculentus, is a fruit-bearing annual herbaceous plant of the Malvaceae family. It is indigenous to the Eastern Hemisphere's tropics, but it has been extensively domesticated or allowed to naturally occur in the tropics and subtropics of the Western Hemisphere. One eats just the delicate, immature fruit. Okra is a vegetable that can be cooked similarly to asparagus, sautéed, or pickled. It is also a common addition in southern American gumbos and stews because of its abundance of mucilage, a gelatinous substance that thickens broths and soups. The seeds are utilised as a coffee replacement in several nations. In the East, poultices made from the leaves and immature fruit have long been used to treat pain. 

Ingredients: 

  • ½ kg  - Lady finger/Okra 
  • 3 nos  - Green chilli 
  • 2 or 3 - Curry leaves 
  • 1 cup - Spring Curd 
  •  ½ cup  - Grated coconut 
  • 1 tsp  - Cumin seed 
  • 3 or 4 nos - Dry red chilli 
  • 1 tsp - Mustard seed  
  • 1 or 2 tsp - Salt 
  • 2 or 3 tbsp - Oil

Method: 

  • First, the ladies' fingers must be washed and chopped into a small, round form.
  • After that, we need to make a fine paste out of the grated coconut, green chilli, and cumin seed.
  • Ladies' fingers are diced and added to a heavy bottom pan with oil already heated. They are then well-fried, drained, and set aside.
  • Add the mustard seeds to hot oil in the same pan and allow them to crackle.
  • Add the salt, thick curd, dry red chilli, curry leaves, ground coconut paste, and enough water to make a smooth paste.
  • Finally, combine well before adding the fried ladies' fingers.
  • Take out of the fire, then set aside.
  • Serve meals with the delicious sadya vendakka kichadi (okra yoghurt curry).